Harry Potter and the Animagi
by Katie-lyn1
Summary: A very un-traditional Mary-Sue shows up. She's perfect; but not as perfect as she thinks she is which can leave Sirius in a lot of trouble. Please R/R!!Don't judge it on the first chapter alone. The story really picks up on chapter 4!!!
1. The Invite

Okay- here it is- the disclaimer- the reason you came- and without further ado… "Harry Potter and Company doesn't belong to me, it belongs to J.K. Rowling"—okay, that was the exciting part, I'll understand if that is all you came for, but while you're here why don't you read my story and give it a review- it will take forever for a new site to download anyways. Also- this is my first fanfic, so I'm new at this, okay?  
  
  
  
  
  
Harry Potter  
  
And  
  
The Animagi  
  
1.1.1 The Invite  
  
  
  
Harry awoke in a cold sweat. Memories from the end of the previous school year had flashed though his mind as he had slept, Cedric's eyes, gray and cold. He glanced over at his bedside table, towards his clock. The glowing numbers told him that it was 1:15 in the morning. He tried to remember what day it was. When he realized what day it was he thought to himself 'Not the best way to start a birthday.' Harry Potter was no ordinary boy. He didn't look forward to his birthdays, although he admittedly looked forward to them more so than he had five years ago. He was also a wizard. For most people that would be enough difference, but being different was something that Harry was very good at. Harry Potter was also very different for a wizard. He was the only one known to have survived the Avada Kedavra curse, the curse of death, attempted by Lord Voldermort.  
  
Lord Voldermort was the most powerful Dark wizard in centuries. Anyone who he had wanted to die died, except Harry. The spell had rebounded and Voldermort was forced to flee, less than a spirit. He had seen Voldermort rise again only last year, with help of one of his old servants, Wormtail, also known as Peter Pettigrew. Wormtail, Harry thought in disgustedly. Not only had the foul Wormtail helped a terrible Dark wizard but he had also had betrayed Harry parents and had handed them over to Voldermort, Harry's mother died trying to save him. Wormtail had made him an orphan, then forced Sirius Black, his godfather into hiding, by faking his death and framing his him.  
  
Only himself, his two best friends from Hogwarts, Ron and Hermione, and Dumbledore, the headmaster at his school had known of Sirius innocence, but inlight of the Voldermort's rebirth at the end of last year the list had expanded to include Ron's mother and the hated Potions professor, Snape.  
  
Lord Voldemort murdered Cedric Diggory, Harry had watched, in horror, as the green light had race towards Cedric, but he could have done nothing to stop it. Then Wormtail concocted a potion that gave Voldemort his body back. After he summoned his followers that had stayed out of the wizard's prison, Azkaban, he forced Harry to duel with him. But a rare effect happened when Harry's wand met its brother, Voldemort's wand, since they shared the same core. The memories of the people who he had killed had come out of the wand, his mother telling him what to do to get back to Hogwarts, and Cedric's memory requesting that Harry bring his body back to his parents. Harry and Cedric had been competing in a tournament against each other, by a fluke. It was suppose to be safer, the Tri-wizard tournament. They had helped each other out so much that they decided to tie for. But a Lord Voldermort supporter, called a Death Eater, had been hiding at Hogwarts, disguised as a teacher at Harry's school. The Death Eater, Barty Crouch, had turned the trophy into a portkey, an object that when touched would transport someone to a certain placed. When Harry and Cedric had both grabbed onto the cup, it transported them to Lord Voldermort's side, and then Cedric died right after a high, cold voice had told his servant to "kill the spare" as Harry had just gotten away after a duel with the Dark Lord himself. All that summer the he had played the memories in his head, trying to find something that he could have done. I should have just taken the cup without Cedric, I should have just grabbed the cup to transport us back before all that could have happened, he thought of as many ways as he could that he could have prevented Cedric's death, but it didn't matter. It was done, and as many ways as it could have been prevented, there was no way of changing that now. 'Let's not think about this' Harry though to himself. As being so early in the morning, Harry went back to sleep, this time, dreamless.  
  
"Wake up, right now," a shrill voice said that came from the other side of his door as he began to wake. "Muggles," Harry murmured as he got out of bed, shaking his head. It was Harry's, he's end up stuck to be raised by his Aunt Petunia, and Uncle Vernon, with his horrible cousin, Dudley, the three biggest Muggles a person could find, hating anything that had to do with magic—namely Harry, and anything out of the ordinary as well. Muggles were people without a drop of magical blood in their veins. Harry was hated in the Dursleys' house, and he hated living there.  
  
He went down to breakfast, bacon and eggs, and began to watch Dudley inhale his share and his mother's then eyeing Harry's and his father's food. True to Harry's prediction, Dudley's diet was completely forgotten when he came back from his fourth year of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  
  
Aunt Petunia, Dudly's mother whose food he had consumed, was bony, horse- faced snoop, was related to Harry by her sister, Harry's mother, Lily. Uncle Vernon was Harry's uncle by marriage. Uncle Vernon was enormous, with no neck and a bushy mustache. Dudley, their pride-and-joy son was now the past the weight of a young killer whale and quickly approaching the weight of a fat, full grown panda bear (F.Y.I. an average sized panda bear weighing in at anywhere from 250 to 300 pounds). He didn't look like a panda bear, even remotely except for his size. He had blond hair, and with his diet forgotten he was getting bigger by the minute.  
  
Harry stuffed the eggs and bacon into his mouth before Dudly could eat it and ran upstairs, eager to get away from his relatives; before any thing could erupt, Harry had a knack for making his relatives very angry for no good reason.  
  
As he dashed up the stairs into his bedroom, as pretty snowy owl landed softly on his bed and gave a sweet hoot, before gracefully fluttering over to Harry and landing on his arm. "Hello, Hedwig,' Harry said. 'Got anything for me?" Hedwig gave a small hoot as she went back to the bed were a package lay on his bed. He opened the door to Hedwig's cage so Hedwig could fly into it, and went over to see what was in the package. Judging by the writing on the cover, it was from Ron. Harry gave a small smile. He missed Ron greatly over the summer, and glad to have something from him. He opened the letter on top first.  
  
Hi Harry,  
  
Mum and Dad say that you can stay the remainder of the summer here. I think that Mum doesn't want you to stay with the Muggles any more than you have to, See if it is all right with the Muggles and send the answer back with Hedwig. If it is okay with them we will come pick you up Monday at noon. Dad says he can arrange it so we can get a Portkey right into your living room. Hope to see you on Monday.  
  
-Ron  
  
Harry was ecstatic by the news. Tomorrow. He immediately headed down stairs. 'How should I word this?'  
  
"Er, Uncle Vernon?" he said timidly. Uncle Vernon grunted. "Umm, the Weasely's want to know if I can spend the rest of the summer with them." He said very quickly, hoping that he wouldn't catch all of it and just say yes.  
  
"Weaselys, are they the people who blasted away half our living room trying to pick you up last time?"  
  
"They wouldn't be picking me up that way again." Harry remembered all too vividly the last time that the Weaslys came over. After they blasted away half the living room with their arrival trying to use floo powder. Uncle Vernon had boarded up the fireplace and put an electric one in front of it, but when they tried to use the Floo powder, which lets you travel by fireplaces, they discovered there was no way to get out and were forced to blast the wall away. Then two of Ron's brothers, George and Fred, had tricked Dudly into taking a Tongue-Ton-Toffee, which made Dudley's tongue grow to about four feet before Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon would let Mr. Wesley fix it.  
  
"I will not let those types of people into this house!" He roared. Aunt Petunia stuck her head in the doorway.  
  
"I quite agree Vernon," she said as she stuck her big nose into their conversation.  
  
"Okay." Harry said, biting his lip, but desperate to get to the Weaselys, " Uh, Uh, what if I meet them down the street?"  
  
"And let people see someone who lives in our house hanging with riff-raff like them?"  
  
Aunt Petunia came in "Let's get rid of the boy for the rest of the summer, let's take the chance. It will give us some time to spend with our son, without him ruining it."  
  
"Fine" Uncle Vernon grunted. "But if those people set one foot in our house, you're going to be locked under those stairs until you forget what the sun looks like."  
  
But Uncle Vernon was right, for once, what if someone did see them? He didn't know how he could arrange this with the Weasleys.  
  
2 Ron  
  
It is okay with the Muggles. But they aren't going to let your family come in to the house. Do you know how to pick me up with out being seen and still not coming into the house? Write back quickly; if I need to meet you somewhere, I need to know where.  
  
Harry  
  
Harry looked it over, he sincerely hoped that they knew of a way. He looked towards Hedwig. "Can you deliver this to Ron as fast as possible? I need to get this to him and get his answer back by tomorrow." Hedwig hooted in a very determined way, she had never failed him before. He tied the note to her leg and she swooped out the window.  
  
As he watched her fly into the distance, he noticed that five owls were racing to his window. Harry ran to the back of the room, not wanting to be hit. After the owls had fought though the window and landed, Harry quickly untied all of the letters and packages so they could head home. He watched them fight to get back though the window and then turned to their cargo.  
  
He opened up the most predictable letter first, bearing the Hogwarts crest, a badger, a lion, a snake, and an eagle united around the letter H. It stated as followed.  
  
Dear Mr. Potter,  
  
Please note that the train for the start of the new term arrives at King's Cross at 11:00 a.m. on September 1st on platform 9 3/4 A list of books needed for your fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is enclosed.  
  
Sincerely,  
  
Professor McGonagall  
  
Nothing surprising about that letter. He then turned his attention to the package that had come with an unfamiliar owl. It was a small package. He recognized the writing as Ron's. He opened it and threw the brown paper over his shoulder. "Wow, thanks Hermione," Harry said to the air as he looked at his new watch. He had broken his old watch participating in the Tri-Wizard tournament, after spending over an hour at the bottom of a lake. He carefully set it aside, and turned to a brown package with a muddy paw print on the top. "Sirius," he said out loud with a smile. Sirius was his innocent- on-the-run-godfather who was an escaped prisoner from Azkaban as well as a unregistered Animagi, a wizard who could turn into an animal at will-- in this case a huge, black dog. Inside there was a large chocolate cake with the words Happy Birthday Harry on top in red icing. He smiled again.  
  
From Hagrid, he had gotten some rock cakes. Hagrid's rock cakes, he suspected were made from real rocks. It was Hermione's present that really got his attention. A huge, brown, leather covered book with gold writing on the front told him what a lot of his spare time would be devoted to, during the scarce time he had free time, on How to become an Animagi. The words were pure gold to him. He had a feeling Ron and even, perhaps Hermione would want in to. Hermione was a bit more comfortable towards breaking rules than she use to be when they first met her, and after all, she was the one who got her the book. He sat down and began to read- chapter one ( Pick Your Animal Carefully), when a rap on the door told him Aunt Petunia wanted him to do some chores before he left, even though he really wanted to get started on his book.  
  
After four hours in the hot sun, gardening, Aunt Petunia finally let Harry come inside to clean. 'How generous of her', he thought to himself, sarcastically. So after a few more hours of pain and torture, but still well worth enduring if he got to go to the Weasely's, he finally got a small dinner that didn't fill him up and went up to his room. He had never been forced to do this kind of work before leaving somewhere, usually they wanted him to stay up in his room and out of their way. I guess not having to do the work herself was too tempting to Aunt Petunia, knowing that he couldn't refuse to. It would have been too dangerous to refuse to help out, they might have forbidden him to go. He still had to pack, he was leaving at eleven o'clock the next day.  
  
He went upstairs and carefully put away all of his books, robes, parchment and quills and wand. Then he checked every nook, cranny and the loose floorboard before closing the lid, book on Animagi right on top.  
  
He went to bed trying to figure out what animal he should become. A stag like his father? A dog like Sirius? They were both registered Animagi. Animagi had to be watched carefully and registered before they become an Animagi along with their markings, so not to abuse the power. He knew he wouldn't be doing a rat, it would remind him of Peter Pettigrew a.k.a. Wormtail. That was his animal. Get it, Wormtail, rat's tail looks like a worm? The disgusting filth.  
  
In Harry's third year at Hogwarts, Harry had saved Wormtail's life. Now he wished he hadn't. Sirius and his Defense against the Darks Arts teacher his third year, Remus Lupin (there old Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher who happened to be a werewolf), had been best friends with Harry's father, James Potter and Peter Pettigrew. When Lupin had discovered Sirius's innocence he ran to Sirius's side, where Peter Pettigrew laid. They had been about to seek revenge for Peter's betrayal. But Harry had stopped them at the last minute, to keep his father's friends from becoming murderer's for Peter's sake.  
  
He turned his thoughts away from all that and started to fall asleep, but the moment his eyelids closed tight, a brown mass of feathers landed hard on his stomach. Needless to say, Harry was startled. He recognized it as Errol, Percy Wesley's owl. He untied the letter attached to his leg.  
  
2.1 Harry-  
  
Hope that this makes it to you in time. Sorry I had to send Hermes. Pig was tired from his last delivery, and Hedwig was about to collapse from trying to deliver the letter so fast. She wanted to bring the letter back to you, but I just didn't think she would make it back before you got here. It took me forever to get Percy to lend him to me. Meet us at the corner of Privet Drive. Dad will drive the Ministry's car there and pick you up. Then you'll ride to a Ministry station where you can use Floo powder to get to the Burrow. See you tomorrow.  
  
~ Ron  
  
2.2  
  
2.3 Harry was very happy that they were able to pick him up with the Muggle's being so terribly picky. He went to sleep with a smile on his face and the bedside clock telling him he had thirteen hours until he would be ride of the Dursely's for the summer.  
  
  
  
End note- okay, this was the first chapter; please tell me what you thought- and I'll try to get the next chapter up ASAP. Thanks! 


	2. Where's Pig?

Okay- here it is- the disclaimer- what you have all been waiting for- and here it is- without ferther ado- J.K. Rowlings stuff doesn't belong to me. Ok here is the story.  
  
  
  
Chapter Two  
  
Where's Pig?  
  
  
  
Harry woke up early the next morning to the sound of singing robins perched outside of his room. He had forgotten to shut the window last night. It looked as if Pig had already started to make his way home. It looked as if the Dursleys had decided to leave Harry alone and once again pretend he didn't exist, which was a bit better than when the where just plain horrible to him.  
  
He got up, slowly. He didn't want to go downstairs any faster than he had to. He double-checked all of the nooks and crannies, making sure that he had everything that he needed packed in his trunk. Finally, he didn't have anything left to do in his room and he was getting quite hungry, so he started heading downstairs towards the kitchen.  
  
Once down the stairs he sat in a chair. Not one of the Dursleys spoke to him, or even noticed that he had entered the room. The chair might have well have empty to them. He checked his watch that he had gotten from Ron, another hour until he was supposes to meet Mr. Wesley at the corner. 'Just one more hour,' he thought to himself, 'then I will be free from the muggles.' He quickly ate his breakfast quietly He couldn't wait to get to the Weasly's home, the Burrow.  
  
The Weasly's all had flaming red hair, and lots of freckles. They had six children, Bill was the oldest, and he was extremely cool with long hair and a fanged earring. He worked for Gringotts. The second oldest was Charlie, he worked with dragons in Romania. Charlie was the best seeker that that had played for the Gryffindor house when he went to Hogwarts. All of the Weasly's children had been in Gryffindor. Percy was on his second year at the ministry. His boss had been killed last year and he didn't know whom he would be working for this year. Barty Crouch had been killed by his son. The same person who bewitched the Tri Wizard Tournament into a portkey. Percy loves rules. Fred and George were in there final year at Hogwarts. They hated rules and wanted to open a joke shop when they graduated. Their mother wanted them to work with the ministry.  
  
Then there was Ron. Ron was Harry's best friend and Harry hoped that they wouldn't have any big fights this year. Ron had always been over shadowed by his brothers. They had been Head boys, Quidditch captain, tops of their classes, and popular. Ron wanted to be as good as his brothers, but even if he did it wouldn't be a big deal because his brothers had all done it first. Ginny was youngest and only girl. She has had a crush on Harry since they first meet. Though she was always unusually quite around Harry. Especially since her first year (his second year) that Harry had saved her life from the Chamber of Secrets after she had been bewitched by the memory of Tom Riddle, who becomes Lord Voldermort. Mr. Wesley worked in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts department in the Ministry of Magic. He loved anything that had to do with Muggles.  
  
He would be meeting him in an hour and the anticipation was killing him. He couldn't wait to get back to his world. He sprinted up the stairs. Triple checked in all of the nooks, crannies and the loose floorboard. He sat on his bed. He waited. And waited. And waited. He could swear that the clock was going half as fast as it should be. Finally, ten minuets until he should be at he corner he started down the stairs with an extremely heavy trunk.  
  
"See you next summer" he yelled over his shoulder. A grunt from Uncle Vernon had told him that he had heard him. He pulled his trunk down the eight houses to the corner. It was lucky that he had left so early. The corner may have not been far away, but trying to pull that trunk behind him was taking longer than expected. "Need some help?" a familiar voice said in his ear.  
  
"Mr. Wesley!" Harry said. "Yeah, this trunk is really heavy." The ministry's car was parked at the curb. Harry was surprised that he hadn't heard it. Mr. Wesley helped Harry heave his trunk in to the trunk of the car. Harry got into the front seat, and Mr. Wesley drove. After an hour of listening to the WWN (Wizarding Wireless Network) on the radio, they pulled up to a building off of an exit on the high way that he could tell no one else could see.  
  
There was only one other car in the extremely small parking lot, one that the ministry's lending ones. The workers there must have preferred a fast method of transportation, such as Apperating or floo powder. Floo powder, that is what they were going to use. They entered the front doors. Every one there were where robes of different colors. They all looked up as they entered the doors. The wizard at the door exclaimed,  
  
" Why, You're Harry Potter!"  
  
"Yes, I have noticed that." Harry, while that hadn't happen all summer, was quite tired of people telling him his name. He did know it with out everyone reminding him. Mr. Wesley gave him a smile.  
  
"That's Mr. Perkin, he works in the department of Misuse of Muggle Artifacts with me." Harry nodded his head knowledgeably. Mr. Wesley led Harry to a back room, which was extremely hot. This was most likely caused be the dozen or so fireplaces that were running. On the mantel of all of them, there was a flowerpot. Mr. Wesley grabbed a pot from the nearest mantel place and handed it to Harry. "After you." He said. Harry took a pinch of the glittering floo powder. He sprinkled the pinch over the fire. The fire turned green. Harry stepped inside the fire, put his glasses in his pocket and kept his elbows tucked in. "The Burrow!" Harry yelled into the fire. He felt the soot in his eyes and a rush. A second later he was stumbling out of the fire at the burrow. A second later Mr. Wesley fell out of the fire right behind him.  
  
"Harry! Good to see you." Said Ron. He had been waiting by the fire for Harry to come out of it.  
  
"Oh, hello Harry, so glad to see you." said Mrs. Wesley. She was working over her wand, and having the dishes wash themselves in the sink. She was a pleasant woman, a bit plump, but very kind faced.  
  
"Let's go put your stuff in my room." Ron said.  
  
"Oh, by the way, thanks for the watch. I really needed a new one." Harry said as they began to clamor up the ever-going stairs with Ron up ahead and Harry right below him carrying the trunk between them. Ron's room was right at the top.  
  
"No problem, doubt you get much from the Muggles."  
  
"Are you kidding? They never even wish me a happy birthday."  
  
They reached the top of the stairs, and a door with a sign reading 'Ronald's Room'. Ron opened the door and everything went extremely orange. Ron's favorite Quidditch team was the Chudly Cannons. Their color was a super bright orange. So naturally every square inch of Ron's room was as orange as a construction sign. Quidditch was the most popular wizard sport that was as exciting as it was dangerous. Quidditch was played on broomsticks with four balls, all-high up in the air. The big red Quaffle was to score points with. The two black Bludgers looked like cannon balls tried to knock you off your broom. And lastly the very small, fast, golden snitch that had to be caught for the game to end and earn another hundred and fifty points, so the team that caught it usually won. The three Chasers tried to score with the Quaffle, getting ten points each time they got it though a goop high up in the air. The Beaters tried to keep the bludgers away from their teammates. The Keeper tried to keep the other team from scoring and the Seeker's job was to catch the Snitch. Harry was the Seeker for the Gryffindor team, and he was quite good at it, though not quickly to admit it. Pig in his cage was sitting on Ron's dresser. He was hooting like mad at Harry and Ron.  
  
"Oh, shut up!" Ron yelled at Pig as he helped Harry set down his trunk and then he put some treats into Pig's cage. "I wish I could put a silencing charm on him. Stupid under-age restriction" Ron said, looking annoyingly at Pig. Harry knew that wizards couldn't do magic if they weren't qualified.  
  
Hagrid, an adult in the wizarding world wasn't a qualified wizard either, despite him being an adult. He had been expelled in his third year at Hogwarts. Harry and Ron had cleared his name their second year and he was now the Care of Magical Creatures teacher as well as the gamekeeper, even though he couldn't do magic. Harry had very firmly and with much evidence that his old, snapped in half wand was concealed in his pink umbrella, and occasionally he still used a bit of magic.  
  
Pig was quite until he had choked down his treats and began hooting again. Harry and Ron decided to ignore him. Harry decided that now was the time to enrich Ron's life forever. "Ron,' Harry said lowering his voice a bit, 'you're not going to believe what Hermione got me."  
  
"What?" Ron said, imitating Harry and lowering his voice a bit too. Very dramatically Harry began to open up his trunk, blocking the contents from Ron so he couldn't' see what he was pulling out. "This!" he said as he whipped around to showed Ron the book. Ron tilted his head while looking extremely puzzled. Harry looked back at Ron with an equally puzzling look on his face as he attempted to figure out why Ron didn't' seem excited. He looked down at the book; back up at Ron, then looking back at the book. Harry felt himself get very warm and red. He turned around, once again blocking Ron's view. Ron could see that Harry was doing something with his hands, but he couldn't tell what. Once again, but this time a bit more red, he turned around and said, "This!"  
  
"WOW!" Ron yelled, as his mouth dropped open. Harry had had the book backward and had showed Ron only a thick brown book with no title. Now the gleaming golden words How to become an Animagi were facing him. Ron quickly lowered his voice so no one would come upstairs to see what was going on. "Hermione got you that?!" Ron looked positively shocked.  
  
"Yep, I don't know where her head went, but I'm glad that it temporally left her." Harry said with a grin. They set the book down and began to read.  
  
"Have any idea on what animal you want to become?" Ron said to Harry while still reading. "Not yet."  
  
"Maybe we should ask Sirius opinion, do you think that he will mind we are trying to become like him?" Ron said.  
  
"I don't know, Sirius did do this, but I am not sure how he would react to you doing it. Personally I don't think I would risk it, but, it would be really good to have his option..." he let his voice trail off as he thought if they should ask Sirius or not as he paused his reading. Harry shook his head; this was a really big decision.  
  
He thought he would at least wait until he had gotten Hermione's opinion. After they had finished the first chapter-, which was relatively short, compared to the other chapters, they sat down, not saying a word to each other, and thought. The first chapter had weighted all of the pros and cons of several of the most common animals- rodents, cats, dogs, and a few others that were magical. Magical creatures were the most complex to change into. Harry wasn't sure if any of the most popular animals would suit him. A thought crossed his mind, he wondered, was Dumbledore an Animagi? Dumbledore was said to be the most powerful wizard of his time, he was even feared by Voldemort. Surly a great wizard like him was an Animagi; it would be easy for someone as great as him. If he was, Harry wondered, what animal could Dumbledore could turn into.  
  
Their deep thinking was interrupted by a bang from the twins, Fred and George's room. Then there was a knock on the door. A burnt and blackened Fred was standing at the door, Mum says that it is time to go down for lunch. "Alright." said Ron, looking like he was curious to know why Fred looked the way he did, but he didn't want to find out. Harry ran back to the book, and stuffed it very deep into his trunk. He didn't want to think what would happen if Mr. or Mrs. Wesley would do if they found it. He didn't want Percy, or Ginny, to find it either, but the one's that worried him the most was what would happen if Fred and George found it. He gave a shiver and firmly latched his trunk. Then he headed downstairs for lunch.  
  
He loved Mrs. Wesley's cooking, and she always wanted to stuff him. Ron and Harry ran down the stairs, and into the kitchen to find a table covered with a chicken and rice dinner for eight people. They sat at the table. Ginny knocked over a glass of milk, blushed, and grabbed a cloth behind her to start cleaning the mess. They were soon joined by Percy, followed by Fred and George, who apparently had cleaned themselves up. Mr. and Mrs. Wesley sat at the table and they began a make the food disappear faster than magic could. Harry had three helpings of everything as the conversation turned to Quidditch.  
  
Harry was completely lost at first, not knowing what has been going on in the wizard's world over the summer. As he was trying to figure out what was going on, a familiar name caught Harry's attention. He leaned in closer to hear what they were talking about. The conversation was going quickly.  
  
"Couldn't believe that save he made! Incredible!"  
  
"Puddlemere is going to have a good shot this year!"  
  
"Thanks to him."  
  
"Didn't he use to go to Hogwarts?" Ginny piped up.  
  
"Blimey, Ginny! Wood was the Gryffindor keeper your only two years ago." Harry choked on his rice. He began coughing with Ron pounding him on the back. A minute later Harry choked out,  
  
"Wood's playing for Puddlemere?"  
  
"Yeah, they moved him off the reserve team this year!" Fred, a fellow Gryffindor Quidditch player said. Wood had been the captain for the Gryffindor Quidditch team every year that Harry had played.  
  
He graduated from Hogwarts two years ago. They would have needed a new captain last year, but they didn't have Quidditch because of the Tri-Wizard tournament. They would need one when Quidditch season started up.  
  
"Good for him." Harry said. He looked over to Fred and George, the beaters for the Gryffindor team.  
  
"Who do you think will be captain this year?" He asked them.  
  
"Dunno." George said.  
  
"Just as long as it's not me." Fred put in. George and Fred hated responsibility. "Reckon you could have it if you wanted it." Harry inwardly blushed. He thought it would be neat to be Quidditch captain, but he never really took the idea seriously. He thought that one of the Chasers would be better; they were older with more experience. They would also need a new Keeper, and he had no idea that that could be. He began eating again and thought of how much better it was here than back at Privet Drive. After he had eaten a Dudley sized meal, Ron and him went back up to Ron's room. Ron startled Harry by starting to talk very loudly and suddenly.  
  
"I got it!"  
  
"Got what?" Harry asked.  
  
"How we can ask Sirius."  
  
"Shhh. How, but be quieter because I don't want the whole house to hear."  
  
"We just pretend like we need to say which animal we would turn into if we could for a school assignment."  
  
"Oh, like he won't be able to see right thought that."  
  
"It will work. Trust me."  
  
"You've gone crazy if you think that he couldn't see though that. Come on, the guy was smart enough to figure out how to get out of Azkaban, it won't work."  
  
"What's the harm in trying?"  
  
"Uh, he figures out what we're up to?!"  
  
"Fine." It was unlike Ron to give up quite this quickly on an idea, but then Ron went to bathroom and Harry didn't get a chance to ask him about it. The next morning when Harry woke up in the bright orange room that made him happy when he first opened his eyes he noticed that Ron was gone. He got up and quickly got dressed to go look for Ron. He looked in the living room and kitchen. He finally found him in the garden. "What are you doing out here?"  
  
"Uh uh, de-gnoming the garden." he replied.  
  
"Oh do you need any help?"  
  
"No, I just finished."  
  
"Oh." Harry looked around the garden. He saw a leathery brown creature walking around the yard with a potato looking head.  
  
"You missed one." Harry went over, grabbed him by the ankles and swung him around by the ankles as the gnome yelled  
  
"Gerroff!!". Pretty soon the gnome was flying though the air, and landed well past the hedge. Soon Harry saw another and yet another gnome.  
  
"Er, Ron?" Ron looked towards where Harry was staring.  
  
"Let's go inside, it's too warm out here." Harry didn't think that it was that warm, but agreed anyway. For the next three days Ron acted perfectly normal, but Pig certainly didn't. In fact, Harry had seen neither beak nor feather of him in those three days. He brought it up a few times, but Ron had always developed a strange interest in school subjects when the subjects were brought up. Ron didn't even have that much of an interest in the subjects when he was actually taken them. He was starting to sound like Hermione. "Ron," Harry started to say, preparing to ask him where Pig went once again, but as he opened his mouth, Pig swooped down to Ron, carrying a letter. Ron grabbed Pig quickly, eyes looking murderous at Pig, and stuffed the letter into his pocket with out looking at it and sent Pig up to his room.  
  
"What was that?" Harry asked. But all the response that Harry managed to get out of Ron was,  
  
"Do you think Transfiguration will be especially hard this year?"  
  
"Er, yeah, it usually is." Harry responded, determined to find out what that note was all about. Harry had a bit of a problem with being nosey, but usually he found something out that involved him, or he would make involved him, so it's not like his nosiness was with out reason.  
  
Later that day, when the two were up in Ron's room, Harry saw Ron hastily stuff the letter into his top dresser-drawer. He didn't say a word.  
  
  
  
  
  
Authors note: sorry that took so long. My Beta(thank you for editing it Beta) forgot to send it back to me. Oh well- I'm going to start writing chapter 3 now. Please review!!!! Thanks for reading!! Oh, and by the way—Read Susie Q's story Harry Potter and the Fifth Amulet- it is the best!!!!! 


	3. Ron's Letter

1 Disclaimer: Harry Potter and Company does not belong to me. But if I woke up one morning and she begged to give them to me, I would let her. But just because I'm a nice person who doesn't want to see J.K. Rowling beg…Ya know? Ok- Here's the story-  
  
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5 CHAPTER THREE  
  
RON'S LETTER  
  
  
  
Harry awoke in the middle of the night. This time Harry awoken not from nightmares or for a drink, he had planned it this way. Ron was still fast asleep. As quietly as Harry could, he sneaked out of bed, and crept towards the top dresser drawer. He gently eased it open, as quietly as he could. And the drawer didn't make a noise, however the sneak-o-scope inside the drawer did.  
  
Sneak-o-scopes whistled loudly when someone was being untrustworthy. Harry guessed that sneaking around in the middle of the night, opening up someone else's dresser drawers, to take a letter out that wasn't his qualified as being untrustworthy.  
  
He snatched the letter and sneak-o-scope out of the drawer, and before Ron could wake up, he stuffed the letter into his shirt, and tossed the sneak-o-scope out the window. Harry would retrieve it later. Right now, he couldn't risk it. Ron gave a grunt along with a "Whas wong?" in a very sleepy voice. Harry didn't respond. Ron went back to his deep sleep that the sneak-o-scope had interrupted.  
  
That morning, Harry was very tired. Ron's awakening had disrupted his plan of reading it that night. Harry took the first opportunity to read the letter when Mrs. Wesley said,  
  
"Ron, the gnomes are getting out of control, go out and de-gnome the garden." Ron, who told Harry he had de-gnomed the garden just a few days before, turned the red color that he did when he was under pressure. Not wanting Harry to notice that the garden needed de-gnoming so quickly, he didn't ask Harry to help him. Harry ran upstairs to Ron's room. His eyes opened in disbelief and anger as he pulled out the letter and read it. "Ron." He said in a very warning growl. It didn't really have a purpose, owning to the fact that Ron wasn't in the room. 'Stupid Ron, how could he be so stupid?' Harry asked himself. He re-read the letter to himself.  
  
Hello Ron,  
  
It is nice to hear from you again. How have you been? Do you know how Harry is doing? I haven't heard too much from him lately.  
  
You can't fool me Ron, I know that school hasn't even started yet. I'm not that cut out from society. I also know that Professor McGonagell would never assign an assignment like that. So, I am telling you right now, becoming an Animagis is too hard, you don't know what you were attempting to get yourself into. If I hear anymore of your attempts I will be forced to tell your parents. Sorry. Hope you have a nice holiday, tell Harry and Hermione hello from me if you see them.  
  
Sirus  
  
Harry was very angry with Ron. He wanted nothing more to yell at him for a good long while and hear Ron apologize continuously to him. But he couldn't let Ron know that he had been snooping around. He got up and put the letter back in the top dresser draw. It was good that Harry had decided to do that right then, because Ron came upstairs as soon as the dresser draw had closed.  
  
"Hey Harry, do you have any idea how my sneak-o-scope got in the garden?" Ron said as he walked into the room. Harry felt very guilty right then, but tried not to let it show on his face.  
  
"You have a sneak-o-scope?" Harry asked him.  
  
"Yeah, got it the same time I bought yours, do you have any idea how it got in the garden?" Ron asked persistently to Harry.  
  
"Err.. No idea." Harry lied. He didn't look in Ron's eyes as he said it. Ron gave Harry a look.  
  
"It was in my top drawer." Ron said as he put it back in it's proper place. Harry could tell that Ron was checking to make sure that the letter was still in there. Then he walked out to finish de-gnoming the garden. Harry breathed out a sigh of relief. Harry was mad at Ron, Ron was suspicious of Harry. They didn't talk much that day, neither wanting the other pick up their feelings.  
  
Later that day at dinner, Mr. Wesley said something that got Harry's mind off of the whole affair.  
  
"Got paid today, what do you say that we all go to Diagon Ally tomorrow to pick up everyone's school supplies."  
  
Every one agreed. They house woke earlier than usually the next morning. They wanted to get a head start on their shopping. With five kids that had to get all of their school supplies, that would take quite a while.  
  
Once everyone was ready, they all assembled by the fireplace. One by one they all climbed into a green fire and shouted "Diagon Ally!" Within five minutes, they all were standing together, next to a fireplace in Diagon Ally, all shouting were they should go first. Although none of them seemed to be places that they really needed to go.  
  
"Quality Quidditch Supplies!" shouted Ron.  
  
"No, Florescence's Ice Cream Shop!" Ginny yelled back at him.  
  
"I don't know what you're doing, but were going down Knockturn ally!" shouted the twins.  
  
"Oh no you not!" Mrs. Wealsy said to Fred and George. It took a loud whistle from Mr. Wealsy to get them to quite down.  
  
"Listen, Listen! We need to go to Gringotts first. Can't buy anything without money." Everyone agreed quietly, not exactly where they wanted to go, but they couldn't argue with that they all needed to go there.  
  
Harry and the Wealseys walked though the familiar ally that only wizards could get to. Harry saw familiar shops, memories in each one. Magical Mereigyes, were Hagrid bought him Hedwig; Florish and Blotts, where Mr. Wealsy got into a fight with Draco Malfoy's father. Malfoy was Harry's archenemy since they first met on the Hogwarts train, five years ago. At the end of the ally was a vast stone building, goblins at the door. Gringotts inscribed at the top. They walked into the building, and approached the front desk.  
  
"We need to take out some money." said Mr. Weasly to the Goblin.  
  
"I trust that the money you wish to take out is yours to take." the Goblin asked him. "You have the key?"  
  
Mr. Weasly pulled out a small silver key. Harry piped up.  
  
"I need to extract some money as well." He told the goblin.  
  
" Graspgrapple , please escort these people down to their vaults." the goblin instructed another goblin that was close by.  
  
"This way please." said Graspgrapple as he lead them into an attached room. They all got aboard a rickety wooden cart that would take them to their vaults. After a long neck-whipping ride down to the vaults, they stopped at a vault, close to being nauseous. Harry knew it must be the Weasleys, for he knew that this wasn't his. After all the things that Harry has seen that most people don't, one of the worst things that he had ever seen was the Wealsys vault. Last time he had been their it contained a few knuts and sickles, and only one gold gallon. Harry tried to look away as the vault was opened, but something caught his eye, he had to look closer. Harry closed his eyes after he had looked into the vault.  
  
Then he opened his eyes back up and tried to suppress the urge to laugh, as one feels when they feel emense happiness for another person. Their vault was filled with wizard's money. Harry was rich. This wasn't nearly as filled as Harry's vault. But it had a good amount of money in it all the same. Ron looked over at Harry as his parents went and got the money that they would need.  
  
"Did I tell you that Dad got a raise?" Ron said. Harry could tell that Ron was very proud for his father. Harry didn't answer, he just smiled, so that Ron would know he was happy for them. Harry didn't feel nearly as guilty as last time as he opened his vault, knowing that at least now his best friend wouldn't have to worry about major financial problems. Harry got the money he needed and soon they were traveling a not too fun ride back to the surface.  
  
Breathing the fresh air of above the ground, and having a bag full of money, felt pretty good as Ron and Harry ran ahead of the rest of the Weasleys to do their shopping on their own.  
  
"Where do you want to go first?" Harry asked Ron as they past the Magical Merigenies shop.  
  
"Er, how 'bout the Quidditch store. Harry agreed that they could stop by even though they really need not go there. Harry and Ron went over there, looking at the balls, the robes, and the brooms. The brooms were all quite nice, but none as nice as his Firebolt, the best broom in the world.  
  
Harry had to drag Ron over to Florish and Blotts to start getting their actual school things. Harry pulled out his list and started to read off the items. Standard book of spells, grade five, was first. It was found quickly and they soon moved on to the other books. They were done with their shopping by mid-afternoon and decided to get some ice cream at Florence's. Whilst eating their ice cream a familiar voice came across the boys ears. One that had not been heard in a while.  
  
"Boys! What a pleasant surprise it is to see you here. Are you doing your school shopping?"  
  
"Professor Lupin?!" Harry said as he jumped out of his seat to say hello.  
  
"How have you been?" Harry asked him.  
  
"Quite well. And you?"  
  
"Good. What are you here for?" Harry asked him.  
  
"I am short on the ingredients for a wolfsbane potion." replied Lupin. Several people around them scooted away. Lupin was a werewolf who was friends with Sirius, and had been friends with Harry's father. The wolfsbane potion made him less dangerous while in werewolf form. "I'm so glad I got to see you before you left for your school year. Cournelis Fudge has decided that no non-human creature can be inside the school grounds. That includes werewolves, vampires, trolls, dementors, and giants."  
  
"What? What about Hagrid?" Ron asked.  
  
"Hagrid is half human. I am sure that they will let him in. Besides Dumbledore will make sure of it"  
  
"There is a trial set in mid-school year. Hagrid is allowed to stay until then." Lupin said. "I'm am sorry, I must go. I hope to see you in the not too distant future." The conversation put quite a damper on their good mood. They had even forgotten to be mad at each other.  
  
"My gosh, they wouldn't do that to Hagrid, would they?!", Ron restated to Harry.  
  
"I don't think that Dumbledore would let them, however, Fudge is a bit, umm." Ron understood what Harry was trying to say. Last year Cornilus Fudge, the minister of Magic, denied point-blank that You-know-who had returned to power, and was quite a bigot towards half-giants, such as Hagrid and Madam Maxine. Madam Maxine was the headmistress of Buexbatons, another wizarding school.  
  
Harry knew that if it was solely up to the ministry that Hagrid wouldn't have lasted the summer in the school grounds. No one would know Hagrid was a half-giant if it hadn't been for Rita Skeeter, an extremely foul reporter for the Daily Prophet, the wizarding newspaper. Hermione found out that she was an illegal Animagi, a beetle. Harry cussed at her in his head. Ron whipped his head around. Harry guessed from Ron's response that he had let the words slip from his mouth. 'Opps.' Harry thought to himself.  
  
"Sorry." Ron said.  
  
"For what?" Harry asked him.  
  
"Weren't you listing to me?" Ron said. He repeated what he said.  
  
"Oh- I was thinking that same thing in my head." Harry said. If Hagrid was banned from Hogwarts nothing would be the same there. Harry looked down at his watch. "We need to get back over to Gringotts. We have to met up with your parents." They headed down to the bank, not watching were their feet were going. Before they even knew that they were going, they were there. They got aboard a fireplace with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, and left to the Burrow.  
  
  
  
Harry had a hard time going to sleep that night. He kept thinking about what life would be like with out Hagrid. 'At least there won't be any dragons this year.' Harry thought to himself. Hagrid loved dragons and had once illegally owned a baby Norwegian Ridge-Back Dragon.  
  
Then Harry's eyes finally found themselves closed, and soon Harry was fast asleep. The next few days were quite uneventful at the Wesley's home, but Harry hardly ever got a break from too eventful days, and he quite enjoyed those quiet days. For eight people living in the same house, with two major time troublemakers it was quiet anyway. Finally, Harry heard the words that meant that those semi-quiet days were over.  
  
"Make sure you're packed; tomorrow we have to leave to King's Cross by ten a.m." Mrs. Wesley called to them as they were heading out with their brooms over their shoulders; getting ready to play the last Quidditch game of the summer with Fred and George. After a game (Ron and Harry won- mostly because of Harry's broom), Ron and Harry went upstairs to begin the infamous task of packing. Ron had a much bigger project than Harry, owing to the fact that Harry already had most of his stuff in the trunk. So Harry watched Ron stuff everything into his trunk once he was done, and Harry noticed, he was bringing the letter from Sirius with him, as he hastily stuffed the piece of parchment in-between his robes.  
  
Harry figured that Ron didn't want his mother finding the note. Then Ron and Harry went to bed early because they would have to get up early in the morning. Actually that is why Mrs. Wesley made them go to bed. They would have just assumed staying up.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
A/N: Sorry that took so long. I had some slight problems that I wish I could blame on the computer but the real cause is that I couldn't figure out how to do what I wanted to on the computer. Did any of you catch the joke on the Goblin's name? I thought it was clever any ways. Yes, I do know that I misspelled some shop names and I think I misspelled some of the people's names too. Please don't hate me for it. So I would like to leave you with this last thought- See that pretty button below? Click it and see what happens. I dare you. 


	4. The Cross

1.1.1.1 Hermione's Disappointment  
  
"Ron, Harry, wake up quickly! We have a train to catch!" Mrs. Weasley's voice called to them from outside Ron's door. Ron yawned and sat up in bed.  
  
"Another summer gone by," he said in a dismal kind of voice.  
  
"And another school year to begin," finished Harry in a tired sort of voice. They got dressed and went downstairs where everyone was running around the house trying to get ready for the beginning of another school year. This was going to be Harry, Ron, and Hermione's fifth year at Hogwarts. For the Weasley twins it was going to be the last. It was Ginny's fourth year. She was just about half way though her magical education.  
  
They had quick breakfast as they all heaved their heavy trunks were out to the taxis that were waiting for them. They had just finished packing the trunks and where about to leave when Harry and Ron both realized that they had left their owls. They ran back inside the Burrow and grabbed a squawking mini brown owl and a graceful, pretty snowy owl and ran back outside to a not-so-pleased Mrs. Wesley.  
  
After a few boring hours in a taxi they arrived at their final destination. King's Cross, the train station was full of ordinary Muggles. But inside a group of wizards lay, attempting to conceal their magic from the ordinary folk surrounding them.  
  
"Okay... umm... Ginny...Yes... Ginny, why don't you go first?" said Mrs. Weasley looking around them. Ginny nodded her head, looked over to make sure no one was looking and disappeared in-between platforms 9 and 10. Then Ron and Harry slide into platform 9 ¾.  
  
Suddenly, they were surrounded by chattering, loud young witches and wizards like themselves. George and Fred soon came after them. Ron looked over at Harry. "Let's find Hermione," he said. And they took off to search for her after Mrs. Weasley had said her goodbye.  
  
Harry spotted her bushy head of hair bobbing around the crowd.  
  
"Hermione! Hermione!" he called to her.  
  
"Harry! How are you?" she called back over the noise of the crowd. She made her way though the crowd and met up with them. They boarded the train together, found an empty compartment, and got settled for the long trip to Hogwarts, which was a few hours ride.  
  
"So what did you do over the summer?" Ron asked Hermione.  
  
"Oh, nothing," she said looking away. Ron's eyes flashed and took a glance over Hermione's face, trying to read her, guessed, and looked away. Harry could guess what Hermione had spent her summer doing, but wanting to drop the touchy subject, brought up a subject that would try and get their minds off of it.  
  
"So, Hermione, what's with the book?"  
  
"What book?" she asked.  
  
"The book about the Animagi," Harry responded, dropping his voice volume down a notch.  
  
"Oh, that book. Yes, I saw it in a used bookstore and thought that you might like it. I would have bought it new, but you can't buy it anymore because it is illegal to become an Animagi without telling the Ministry." she said nonchalantly.  
  
"And you're okay with the whole 'illegal' thing?!" Ron said in a shocked voice, raising his eyebrows.  
  
"Oh, they are only rules," Hermione said like it was obvious. Ron looked over at Harry, slowly shaking his head from side to side, as if in a state of utter disbelief.  
  
"What is wrong with her?" Harry mouthed over to Ron. Hermione saw him though, and responded.  
  
"What makes you think something's wrong?" she asked shrilly.  
  
"Well, no offence Hermione, but you have always liked the rules, and now, you don't even seem to care about breaking the law." Ron said.  
  
"Oh, what is the point of following the rules if you can break them and not get caught?." she said.  
  
"Well, aren't you going to be enforcing the rules this year Hermione?" Ron said. "Why would I do that?" she said glaring at him.  
  
"Well, this is our fifth year. Gryffindor needs a perfect."  
  
"What does that have to do with me?"  
  
"You're the perfect. You were the only one even up for it at the end of last year" "That was last year. This is now. Someone beat me." She said this with a steady voice. But her chin was starting to quiver and her eyes were beginning to swelled with tears. Harry could tell that making perfect meant a lot to her.  
  
"Oh. I'm sorry, Hermione." She shrugged it off. Harry was about to ask her what animal she had in mind for herself, but they heard someone coming though the door and shut up about it.  
  
A pretty girl with redish-brownish-blond hair pulled back into a French braid topped with a brown cowboyish hat, green eyes, and snakeskin boots swaggered into the compartment. Her jeans were tucked into the boots, and her denim shirt was tucked into her jeans which were held up with a brown leather belt. On her neck she wore a neckless with a cross. She had fair skin sprinkled with freckles.  
  
" Ceeoo! G'day mates." she said sitting down next to them. Ron, Harry, and Hermione all stared at her, then remembering their manners, replied back.  
  
"Hello," they all said back.  
  
"My name's Mary-Sue. What house are y'all in?."  
  
"Gryffindor," they all replied back.  
  
"Ah! that's may house too. Wacko! What year are ya in?"  
  
"This is our fifth year." Harry replied back.  
  
"Grouse! That's my year too! I'm the perfect for Gryfindor." Hermione's eyes flashed, as all of the color drained from face.  
  
"Congratulations," Ron said, but Harry was looking over at Hermione.  
  
"Hermione. Hermione, are you okay?" She failed to speak, but nodded her head yes.  
  
"What's wrong with her?" said Mary-Sue, nodding her head over at the speechless Hermione.  
  
"She'll be fine," Harry said.  
  
"So where are you from?" Ron asked her.  
  
"Australia," she replied with a smile. "We just moved to the U.K. last month. So... umm.. What is your Quidditch team?" Ron sat up a little straighter.  
  
"The Chudley Cannons." he said proudly.  
  
She began to laugh at him. "You do realize how no-hoper they are, don'tyou?" After that remark Ron gave her a bit of the cold shoulder. Harry turned away from those two and looked back at Hermione who was still very much in shock.  
  
"She may get to be perfect, but we still have our book," Harry whispered to Hermione as Mary-Sue tried to engage in conversation with Ron. With Ron not talking and Hermione in a state of shock, the only one to talk to was Mary-Sue until Hermione came back to reality.  
  
"What is it like in Australia?" Harry asked her curiously.  
  
"Well, most of the people live in the Smoke, but me and my family lived in the mulga."  
  
"Hold on," Harry interrupted." "Most of the people lived where, and you lived in the what?"  
  
"Most of the people live in the cities. But I lived in the outback, sorry. Anyway, I really liked it there. No one else was ever there and we had our own Quidditch field. There is a lot of really wacko animals there too. And some of the regular Muggle creatures there are just as interesting as the magical ones. I miss it. There was always so much to do and so much outdoors," she finished.  
  
"You'll like it at Hogwarts. There is even an opening on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. It's for the Keeper."  
  
"Pearl! That's my position. Hey, I just realized we have been talking for over an hour, and I still don't know your name."  
  
There was a pause. Harry really didn't want to ruin this nice conversation with a gawking at the forehead. Aunt Petunia had neglected to give Harry a haircut all year and his hair well covered his scar. He had supposed that she had finally given up. But not wanting to be rude he replied all the same. "I'm Harry." It wouldn't hurt for her not to know his last name. After all, he thought, she never told him hers.  
  
"I'm Mary-Sue Walker," she re-introduced herself with a smile. He could swear that she had emphasized her last name to him. 'Dang It." he thought. "I'm Harry...Potter," he re-introduced himself as she had done with a small, yet unmistakable wince.  
  
At first she seemed to want to laugh, but seeing the serious look on his face she decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. She reached up to brush the hair away from his forehead suddenly. Harry jerked back and brushed his hair off his forehead for her. Her mouth dropped open for a second. And then she tried to regain herself as they started up their conversation on what Hogwarts was like. Soon the lady pushing the snack cart arrived and Harry got a stack full of Cauldron Cakes. Then quite suddenly Hermione was back to her old self.  
  
"How long have we been on the train?" she asked.  
  
"A few hours. Here, have a Cauldron Cake."  
  
"What happened?" she asked  
  
"Oh, you found out that Mary-Sue was made perfect for Gryfindor." and with those words she was back into her stone self. Mary-Sue stared at her for a minute, and then turned back to Harry. "Does she always act like that?"  
  
"No," he answered, "only under severe shock. But last time I saw her act that stone-like was when she was frozen by a basilisk," he said with a small smile. "She was attacked by a basilisk?! Fair dinkum," Mary-Sue said in amazement.  
  
"Yeah." he went on to explain the story of the attacks. Mary-Sue seemed fascinated. But the time on the train had passed up, and the train was coming to a halt. Harry tried to get Ron to talk and tried to get Hermione to come out of it.  
  
They all got off the train together after some persuasion. Mary-Sue was just about to board the horseless carriage, but Hagrid's voice called up to her. "Hey, umm, new girl. Come here and take the trip on the boats. Everyone gets to their first year at Hogwarts, that means you too, even if ya aren't a first year." With her taking off, Ron seemed to be back to his normal self.  
  
"I don't like her," he said flat out.  
  
"Ron, you just don't like her cause she insulted your team. Give her another chance." Harry said.  
  
"Well, all right, but if she says one more thing bad to me, I won't talk to her again."  
  
"Oh, Ron," Hermione said, she seemed to be over her state of shock. "If I didn't talk to you every time you said something bad we would have stopped being friends a long time ago." she finished.  
  
They got up to the castle. The tall towers and heavy doors looked the same as always. They went though the doors with their schoolmates. The enchanted ceilings looked exactly like the sky. The stars were bright tonight.  
  
Mean while in the forest, a centaur's eyes were lighting up as the stars told him stories of the danger that someone inside the school would be facing very soon. The centaur looked away from the stars and felt very sorry for the person up in the school. Chances best stand that they would not be finishing this year.  
  
But up at the castle no one was thinking that one person among them might not be there later on. Except for maybe Professor Trelawney, who always thought that someone was going to die. The students were just worried about when the food was going to come. Harry looked around the hall once every one had been seated. Something was missing. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he knew that something was missing.  
  
"Harry." Hermione looked over at him,  
  
"Harry, where are all the ghosts?"  
  
That was it. There were no ghosts. No Nearly Headless Nick, no Bloody Baron, no Peeves. Well, the last one made him happy. But then he thought of the conversation that Ron and himself had had with Lupin in Diagon Ally. 'No non-human creatures could come in the school.' Hermione was still left in the dark. Harry leaned over and explained what they had heard from Professor Lupin.  
  
"What about Hagrid, he's half human!" Ron joined in  
  
"They have a trial set."  
  
Hermione looked very sad. All of the not-quite-human people is one thing that made the school so interesting.  
  
"Blimey. What are you all so sad about?" they all looked up to see a very cheerful Mary-Sue. She looked strange now that she had changed into her Hogwarts robes. She needed those boots to make her look like the person that they had seen on the train. She had her shiny perfect badge pinned to her robes. They just couldn't explain the whole thing out to her. She wouldn't understand. They ignored her question.  
  
She sat down next to Ron. "So what happens now, Bluey?" Ron wasn't going to answer her. But he remembered the conversation that they had on the carriage and began to explain. "First the first years get sorted, then Dumbledore the headmaster talks for a bit, and then we get to eat."  
  
"It must take forever to make all this food." she commented after their plates had been magically filled with food.  
  
"Oh no." Ron said taking a quick glance at Hermione hoping that she hadn't heard. The look on her face made him think that she had though.  
  
"Yes, and do you know who made all this food?" she asked Mary-Sue, her eyes flashing. "Slaves! Brainwashed, under appreciated, living-in-bad- condition slaves!" she said without waiting for a response from Mary-Sue.  
  
"What is she talking about?" Mary–Sue asked Ron.  
  
"House elves."  
  
"Ah. Those poor critters. Should all be set free if ya ask me."  
  
"Hold on a sec, you agree with her?" Ron asked Mary-Sue.  
  
"Of course. Those creatures don't get nearly enough say in their own fate. When I was six years old I set ours free. My parents were to perform," she saw the dumfounded looks of her classmates, "That means that they were outraged." she said with a small smile. Then she and Hermione set off in a discussion of Hermione's S.P.E.W. with a big smile set upon Hermione's face.  
  
Ron could hardly stand to see Hermione this happy and leaned over to whisper something in her ear. Harry leaned in to hear. "She beat you to perfect. Why are you getting all buddy-buddy so fast?"  
  
With these words Hermione's eyes filled with tears. She turned away so Mary-Sue wouldn't see her.  
  
"Ron," Harry said, disgusted at what he just did. They soon finished their food and headed up the stairs to the Gryffindor common room. "The password's 'hippogriff." Mary-Sue told Hermione, who was starting to get the hiccups from all this perfect stuff. She looked up at the painting of the Fat Lady.  
  
And nearly fainted.  
  
"Hello." the painting said.  
  
"Hello... umm." Hermione was unsure what to call her. The Fat Lady was still there. But she had lost a considerable amount of weight. "Everyone has always called me the Fat Lady, you don't know my name do you?" said the painting in a hurt sort of way.  
  
Mary-Sue looked up at the former Fat Lady. "What is your name Miss?" she said. "Oh! A new student. My name is Scarlet." she said very pleasantly.  
  
"Hello. I'm Mary-Sue." She said like it was rehearsed.  
  
"Password please."  
  
"Hippogriff." and Scarlet swung open.  
  
~  
  
"Wow," Mary-Sue said as she went into the common room.  
  
"What was your old school like?" Harry asked the awe-stricken Mary-Sue. "Like the Muggles, since I lived out in the never-never I got all of my assignments and lessons by owl. But durnin' the end of the term tests it was too big, and I got those delivered by an Auguery." she said.  
  
"What is an Auguery?" Ron asked her.  
  
"It's like an Australian version of a phoenix. Doesn't make a noise, except when it dies. Some people say that if you hear an Auguery's cry, then you will die soon afterwards."  
  
"Kind of like seeing a grim." Ron said.  
  
"Yeah, like a grim. But I don't believe in all that Divination stuff." she said.  
  
"I'm knocked up. I'm going to go up to bed. Where's that?" she asked Hermione.  
  
"What did you say?" Harry and Ron asked at the same time giving her a look of disbelief.  
  
"I said I was knocked up." she said with a puzzled look on her face, "You know, I'm tired," she said.  
  
"Up there" Hermione said pointing up to the staircase that led up to the fifth year girls dormitory while Harry and Ron got a relieved look on her face.  
  
"Thanks. I'll see y'all in the mornin'" she said and headed off in the direction that Hermione pointed to her.  
  
"Thanks. I'll see y'all in the mornin,'" she said and headed off in the direction that Hermione pointed to her. Soon everyone had filtered out of the common room and the three were left there by themselves.  
  
"So, Hermione, what animal were you thinking of becoming?" Ron asked. He had wanted to ask her since the train ride, but a certain someone had kept him from asking. 


End file.
